


strawberries and cigarettes

by localswordlesbian



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Boys Kissing, Canon Gay Relationship, Communication, Communication Failure, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gift Exchange, Happy, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, M/M, No beta we kayak like Tim, Pre-Canon, The Magnus Archives Season 1, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff, i miss the season 1 archives crew
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 04:47:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29448024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/localswordlesbian/pseuds/localswordlesbian
Summary: Tim decides to organize an Archives gift exchange for Valentine's Day, and Sasha and Martin know perfectly well he's rigged it. Martin wonders what to get for Jon – that is, until they share a taxi ride home
Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist
Comments: 8
Kudos: 100





	strawberries and cigarettes

Martin stared at the slip of paper in his hand, pursing his lips and trying desperately not to reveal to the others how hard his heart was pounding. There, printed in Tim’s blocky handwriting, was a name.

_ Jon _ .

Martin had a feeling Tim had done this on purpose. He was standing in front of Martin, along with Sasha and Jon, having folded his own slip of paper into the pocket of his jeans. “So,” he said once everyone had read their papers. “We all good?”

“Tim, I can’t help but feel as though this  _ Valentine’s Day Secret Santa _ is simply an excuse not to do work,” Jon noted, his face as serious as ever.

Tim shrugged. “And so what if it is? What?” he asked when Jon scowled. “Come off it, boss, we can take half of the morning to have some fun on the national day of love.”

“We’re all coworkers, Tim. This feels highly inappropriate.”

Tim sighed, throwing an arm over Jon’s shoulders. Jon didn’t flinch, simply sighed. “Think of it as platonic Valentines, then. I’m not trying to pressure anyone, just thought we could have some harmless fun in this drab old place.”

“I think it’s a good idea,” Martin piped up, and Jon turned his disapproving gaze on him. He tried not to shrink into himself. “It just seems like fun, and we can all get some chocolate out of it or something.”

Tim shot him a wide grin, and Martin instantly felt better. “See? Martin gets it.”

Sasha laughed. “Yeah, I’m with you guys. Just a bit of fun. And seriously, Jon, there’s no pressure.”

Jon let out a long-suffering sigh. “Fine.”

Tim and Sasha high fived, and Martin smiled.  _ No pressure,  _ he reminded himself.  _ None whatsoever _ .

Martin was waiting by the bus stop two days before Valentine’s Day when the smell of cigarette smoke hit his nose. Turning to see who the culprit was, he saw Jon leaning against a lamp post, standing in nothing but his wooly cardigan and a skirt that could not possibly be warm enough for London’s biting February chill. He had a cigarette to his lips, the smoke blowing from his face and directly towards Martin. Before he could think too much of it, he walked over to Jon, holding out his coat.

“Go on, before you catch a chill.”

Jon’s head snapped up towards him as if only just noticing that Martin was there, and Martin’s ears turned pink. Jon looked first at Martin’s face, then at the jacket he was thrusting towards him. “Are you mad?”

Martin flinched. “Well, you’re not exactly well-dressed, and I don’t want you to catch a chill. Just take it.”

Jon looked a moment more before shaking his head. “What, you think it’s better if you catch something instead? Put your coat back on and don’t be daft.”

Sighing, refusing to give up, Martin placed the jacket over Jon’s shoulders. As Jon began to sputter out his protests, Martin lifted a finger to silence him. “I’ve got multiple layers on, and besides, I’ve got a bit more meat on me than you do. You look like a gust of wind could blow you over.”

Jon glared at him, but Martin didn’t relent. Eventually, Jon pulled the jacket tighter around him, his tiny frame completely absorbed by the bulky material. Martin fought a shiver, refusing to let on that he was cold in just his jumper. “Are you waiting for the bus?” Jon asked, taking another drag of his cigarette. As he prepared to exhale, he turned his head so the wind blew the smoke away from Martin. 

Martin nodded. “Yeah. Late as usual.”

Jon nodded. “I was actually about to call a cab; it’s late, and the night buses don’t go around where I live.” Jon paused. “You can join me, if you’d like. Instead of waiting in the cold.”

Martin’s face heated at the gesture, nearly at a loss for words that Jon would offer. He had half a mind to decline, not wanting to bother him or make him take longer than he needed in the cab, but the cold was damp and uncomfortable, and maybe there was a part of him that just wanted to spend more time with Jon. “That’d be great, actually. Thank you.”

Jon nodded, lifting his phone to make the call. Martin looked ahead, staring at the dark London street ahead of him as Jon requested a taxi for the two of them. Jon had been right – it was later at night than Martin had realized, and there was no way the buses were going all the way to his end of town. Lucky he’d run into Jon, otherwise he might’ve been standing in the cold for hours.

Jon set down his phone, taking another drag of his cigarette. Martin tilted his head at him. “I didn’t know you smoked.”

Jon looked up at him, letting out a rueful laugh as he let the cigarette dangle from his fingers.  _ Don’t stare at his hands, Martin _ . “I try not to. Old habit I got from university, thought I’d kicked it. Got back into it after I got promoted.”

Martin nodded. “You do seem stressed.”

Jon laughed. “You noticed?” he asked sarcastically, and Martin huffed a laugh of his own. “It’s a lot more responsibility, and the statements… they’re tiring.”

“How so?”

“Ah, I don’t entirely know how to explain. As if it’s taking something out of me, I suppose. But once I start, it’s difficult to stop.”

Martin narrowed his eyes. “That doesn’t sound healthy.”

Jon hummed in agreement. “I suppose not, though it pays the bills, so who am I to complain?”

Martin barked a bitter laugh. “Tell me about it.”

They lapsed into silence, Jon smoking the cigarette until only the filter was left before crushing the butt underfoot. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable, simply two people with nothing to say existing in the same space, no pressure to fill the air with needless amble about nothing. Eventually, the taxi arrived, and they both piled in.

Jon gave directions to his place, then Martin did the same. The driver shot them each a smile before turning onto the street and making their way through London.

“Have you figured out your gift for Tim’s Valentine’s event?”

Martin turned to Jon as he asked, but Jon was staring at the seat ahead of him. The taxi driver had the music turned up loud, so Martin had to strain to hear Jon’s words. “Not yet. I was thinking of going to the store the morning of.”

Jon nodded absently. “What sort of thing do you even buy for this sort of thing?” A hint of annoyance crept into his voice, but Martin didn’t know if he was imagining things or if it seemed forced. “It’s not like we know each other that well.”

Martin considered. “Well, chocolates are always an easy bet. Stores seem to have some other stuff, too – coloured candies, stuffed animals, stuff like that. I’ve always thought those teddy bears that come in a pair were really cute.”

His face heated up as Jon regarded him sideways. “Interesting,” he said, as if he were filing the information away for later. “Teddy bears. Seems childish.”

Martin sighed. “Yeah, maybe. Maybe Valentine’s Day in general is childish, or a money grab or something. Doesn’t mean it can’t be nice.”

Jon regarded him, though Martin didn’t feel as though he was being scrutinized. Something glimmered in Jon’s eyes, his lips turning up in a delicate smile. “I suppose you’re right.”

The taxi pulled up in front of an apartment building, and Jon looked up as he realized this was his stop. Turning back to Martin, he sat in place, seemingly frozen as he robotically handed over his card to pay for the ride. Once he was done, only a second passed where Jon sat still before he was leaning forward, pressing a chaste kiss to Martin’s lips.

Martin froze, hardly registering what was happening before Jon was out of his seat, throwing a quick “See you tomorrow” over his shoulder before he hurried into the building, the door shutting behind him as the taxi driver pulled out of the parking lot, on the way to Martin’s flat.

Martin didn’t even register that Jon still had his coat, leaving him without a jacket for at least the next twelve hours. The only thing he registered was the feeling of Jon’s lips on his and the taste that lingered.

The taste of cigarettes, and a hint of strawberry.

Valentine’s Day rolled around, and Martin had to steel himself before entering the Institute. Jon had been avoiding him all day yesterday, snapping at him when he brought him his usual tea. Every time Martin had tried to confront him about what had happened in the taxi, Jon was either nowhere to be found or he managed to slip away too quickly.

Tim and Sasha noticed, of course, but every time they asked Martin feigned ignorance. Even he wasn’t entirely sure what had happened, and he wanted to make sure before he went around telling people that  _ his crush who also happened to be his boss had kissed him in the back of a taxi and now refused to talk to him _ .

A pink gift bag swung from his fingers as he made it into the Archives, setting it on his desk. Sasha was already there, a box wrapped on her desk, and she gave Martin a friendly grin. “Hey, Martin!”

Martin smiled back, relieved to see a friendly face. “Hey, Sasha. Ready for the Secret Valentine, or whatever Tim’s called it?”

Sasha laughed. “So ready.” She threw her braids over her shoulder, smirking dramatically. “Stoker has no clue what’s coming.”

Martin grinned. “So you got Tim?”

Sasha nodded, sitting back and crossing her legs. “Yup. I have a feeling he rigged it.”

Martin nodded. “Most likely.”

As if on cue, the doors to the Archives opened and Tim walked in, carrying what was clearly flowers wrapped in pink paper and wearing a black dress that was definitely inappropriate for the weather outside. Sasha rolled her eyes as he sauntered over, grinning. “Speak of the devil and he shall appear.”

Tim joined them after setting the flowers and his bag on his desk, crossing his arms and grinning. “If you mean devilishly handsome, then yes.” Martin laughed, and Tim winked jokingly at him. “Where’s the boss?”

“No idea,” Sasha said, and Martin’s heart beat faster at the mention of Jon. “I’ll go get him.”

She stood and walked toward Jon’s office, and Martin fiddled with his mug as he sat down. Tim gave him a concerned look. “Okay, I let it go yesterday, but what is going on? You’ve been anxious the last twenty-four hours, maybe more, and I don’t like seeing you like this. Did something happen, did Jon do something?”

Martin shook his head. “Nothing like that,” he insisted, trying to wave away Tim’s worry. “I just… I don’t really know what’s going on myself?”

Tim sighed, placing a comforting hand on Martin’s shoulder, and Martin felt himself relax at the touch from his friend. “Fine, I won’t push. But if we get to the end of today and you’re still feeling anxious, please talk to me. Okay? Don’t bottle it up.”

Martin nodded, shooting him a grateful smile. “Alright. Thanks, Tim.”

Sasha and Jon emerged into the Assistant’s office and Martin tried to catch Jon’s eye – it was useless. He kept his eyes trained ahead, looking at everything but Martin. “Gift exchange time!” Sasha exclaimed, and Tim laughed. Martin, trying not to be discouraged, focused instead on his friends’ excitement.

Sasha and Tim handed each other their gifts, and Martin rolled his eyes. “Tim, you cannot try to convince me you didn’t rig this.”

Tim just winked at him, holding Sasha’s gift to his chest. “A gentleman never tells.” Sasha smacked his arm, tearing the paper hiding the flowers to reveal a bouquet of red roses. Martin felt happiness rise in his chest as he watched his friend’s face light up with joy, her eyes sparkling. Tim, in turn, opened up a box of chocolates from Sasha, and the two shared a hug while Jon and Martin stood and waited.

Tum turned to them. “Well? It’s your turn.”

Sheepishly turning, Martin took the pink bag off his desk and held it out to Jon. Finally, for the first time in almost two days, Jon met his eyes, his face instantly flushing pink as he accepted the gift. Gingerly opening the bag, he peered inside. Martin watched as his eyes grew wide as he looked at his gift before he slammed the bag shut. Tim blinked in confusion.

Jon straightened, seeming to shake off whatever had overcome him. “Thank you, Martin. I’m afraid I– I misjudged how much time I’d have this morning, and I haven’t gotten anything for you. I apologize. Now, if you’ll all excuse me.” And with that, he turned and walked back to his office.

The three Assistants stared at his retreating form, dumbfounded. Martin tried to ignore the pang of disappointment in his chest that Jon had forgotten to get him a gift, shaking it off and convincing himself that it was a ridiculous and selfish thing to be upset about.  _ It’s fine, it really is. _

He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Sasha and Tim looking at him with concern evident on their faces. “Are you okay?” Sasha asked, giving his shoulder a squeeze.

Martin nodded, forcing a smile onto his face. “Yeah, fine. Didn’t really expect much different, to be honest.” He was surprised that his voice didn’t break at the obvious lie – of course he expected something, they’d planned this in advance! And after the other night–

Martin was feeling more confused than ever.

Once lunchtime passed and Jon still had yet to emerge from his office, Martin had had enough. He was sick of playing cat-and-mouse on Jon’s terms – if he was going to shut himself away to avoid Martin, then Martin would go and confront him.

Making two mugs of tea in the breakroom wasn’t the most subtle setup, and he nearly leapt out of his skin when Sasha walked in. She eyed the mugs before giving Martin a sympathetic smile. “I think his little stunt earlier warrants an afternoon without tea, don’t you?”

Martin let out a laugh. “You’re probably right. I just–I need to confront him. Not just about this morning, but–” He cut himself off, exhaling as he finished the tea and picked up both mugs. “I’ll tell you and Tim how it goes afterwards, I guess.”

Sasha nodded slowly. “Try not to bottle too much up, Martin. You know we’re here for you.”

He gave her a grateful smile. “I know.” And he meant it.

His heart pounded as he walked into Jon’s office, careful not to spill tea from either mug. Pushing the door open, he saw Jon sitting at his desk, Martin’s gift clutched in his hands. The small brown bear stared up at him, and Martin’s heart clenched.

Jon’s eyes shot up as Martin entered, and he seemed to be about to drop the bear. When he saw it was Martin, he held onto it, pursing his lips.

All the words Martin had prepared suddenly fled his brain, leaving him standing silently in his boss’ office with two mugs of tea in his hands, unsure of what to do next.

“I made you some tea.”

Jon offered him a weak smile. “Thank you, Martin.”

Martin walked numbly over, setting one of the mugs on Jon’s desk. Why had he brought his own, too? What was he even doing here? Words lodged in his throat, refusing to escape.

“Martin,” Jon began. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Martin heard himself saying. “You didn’t need to get me anything. Like Tim said, no pressure or anything.”

Jon shook his head. “No, I– I’m sorry because I lied. I did get you a gift, but… I didn’t want you to open it in front of the others.”

Martin’s heart stuck in his throat, sitting down in the chair opposite Jon’s desk as he dug around underneath it, finally producing a red gift bag. He handed it to Martin, ducking his head so his hair hid his face. His cheeks had gone a dark pink, his eyes occasionally flicking up to look at Martin before immediately lowering as soon as he realized Martin was looking.

Steadying himself, Martin opened the bag. Inside was a white teddy bear, and Martin choked on a laugh when he realized what, exactly, he was looking at.

Pulling it out and setting it on the desk, he grinned at Jon, unable to stop himself from smiling. Jon smiled back as they looked at the two bears, identical in all but colour. Matching Valentine’s teddy bears most likely bought from the same supermarket, entirely on accident.

“I thought about what you said in the taxi,” Jon confessed. “About the teddy bears. I apologize if it seemed as though I was mocking you – they really are adorable.”

Martin smiled. “Speaking of the taxi–”

Jon’s face flushed even darker, now a deep shade of red. “I–yes, I suppose you want to talk about that.”

“Oh boy do I. Have for the last day and a half, thank you for noticing.”

Jon winced. “I’m sorry. I acted on impulse, and I realize it was wrong, and I should have asked, and I shouldn’t have avoided you, I–I panicked.”

Martin sighed. “I mean, yeah, asking would’ve been nice. Though I can’t say it was an unpleasant surprise.”

Jon offered him a shaky smile. “I really am sorry.”

Martin nodded. “It’s okay. Maybe we could– I don’t know, give it another go? Properly this time?”

Jon laughed, leaning forward on his elbows. “I’d like that.”

Martin leaned forward, meeting Jon in the middle as their lips met. This time, he didn’t freeze, kissing Jon properly, deeply, tasting stale cigarettes and, once again, strawberries. Martin smiled into the kiss, pulling Jon’s lower lip into his mouth as the other man gasped slightly, feeling his heart soaring with ecstasy.

Once they pulled apart, Jon kept his eyes closed a moment longer, and Martin smiled at him as their eyes met. “Seems like Tim’s idea wasn’t really that stupid after all, huh?”

Jon laughed. “Seems like it.”

“Your lips taste like strawberries,” Martin blurted, his face immediately heating even more as soon as the words left his mouth.

Jon smirked. “Strawberry lip balm.”

Martin chuckled. “Of course.” He paused, marvelling at the fact that he was here, that he’d just kissed Jon and he wasn’t melted into a puddle on the floor. “May I kiss you again?”

Jon grinned, seeming happy, perhaps even giddy, and the sight made Martin’s heart squeeze pleasantly. “You may.”

**Author's Note:**

> a second valentine's fic! shoutout to all my fellow single gays this valentine's day, love is stored in the fluffy jonmartin fics <3  
> thank you to everyone who reads, leaves kudos on, and comments on my fics! whenever i see a new comment i get so happy, even if it's just a keysmash   
> happy valentine's day, and happy half-price chocolate day tomorrow!


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